African Gray vs Extra White
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, African Gray belongs to the grey family and Extra White to the white family. Extra White (LRV 86) reflects noticeably more light than African Gray (LRV 31), a difference of 55 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean neutral, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 32.0, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
African Gray vs Extra White in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing African Gray and Extra White in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Extra White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than African Gray would.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Extra White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than African Gray.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Extra White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Extra White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than African Gray.
Color Details
African Gray vs Extra White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see African Gray on one side and Extra White on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More African Gray comparisons
See how African Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 31), opening up a space where African Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 31, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 31 vs 6, African Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 31), opening up a space where African Gray encloses it.
With LRVs of 31 and 30, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 31, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 31), opening up a space where African Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 31, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (31 vs 27) makes African Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 31), opening up a space where African Gray encloses it.
African Gray reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 31, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 31 vs 13, African Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 31, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 31), opening up a space where African Gray encloses it.
African Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 31, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 31, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 31, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 31), opening up a space where African Gray encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 12, African Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 31 vs 8, African Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 31, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 31 vs 12, African Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 31, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 31 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.